Dize: While 'Anything Goes' on social media, spiritual people have strong foundation

The Rev. Ellin M. DizeReligion Columnist

For me, social media has replaced my television entertainment. I found I was spending more time channel-searching for something interesting than actually watching TV. Most of the time, I wound up watching the travel channel which I found to be very educational. The walls exist around the world to keep the enemy from sneaking in at night and killing everyone then taking possession of the country. Now we're building a wall to keep people from entering illegally.

Switching to internet has become very interesting, challenging and even enlightening. Since I'm a pastor and a spiritual/personal counselor, I seek to help as many people as I am able. Also, it's fun meeting people I wouldn't otherwise meet. Right now, I've gathered Facebook friends from South Korea, India, Canada and England to name a few who seem very interested in being neighborly. We have similar interests: our well-being and safety.

I was shocked when WTF became the norm in conversations. I'm attempting to change WTF to “Wow, That's Fantastic.” At least, when someone writes WTF you won't know which meaning they are using.

Social media can be very powerful when everyone uses it for the betterment of the world. Unfortunately, some people get overpowered by their egos. They want to be right and to fight.

Mostly, because I've been writing this column since 2005, I've learned to make sure what I say, to the best of my research, is true. Not so on Facebook. Some, blatantly spread false information. I also find that people state their opinions and their opinion is limited to many things: travel, education, family, teachers and their own interest in living a progressive, helpful life.

Labeling is also a norm on FB: people get lumped together. Yet, God made each one of us more precious than a jewel, created with a mind, to develop talents, skills using our varying abilities. The only difference in us is how much we have accomplished in improving ourselves.

Many on social media, when unable to change another's view point, resort to name-calling. How ridiculously childish. While experiencing all this FB rabble rousing, a song written by Cole Porter in the Depression-Era, kept rolling around in my head; a 1934 musical named “Anything Goes.”

Porter starts with an catchy first line, attention-getter: “In olden days, a glimpse of stocking … was shocking ... now, God knows, Anything goes. Good authors, too, who once knew better words, Now only use four-letter words, Anything goes. The world has gone mad today, And good's bad today, And black's white today, And day's night today – Anything goes.”

But, as time marches on, spiritual people have a foundation to rely on. They balance out FB, whom I believe, are today's role models showing good behavior and etiquette. They give and ask for prayers. They show concern for the welfare of others.

They are kind. They offer and ask for help. They seem more connected as a people and are more open-minded to appreciate new ideas. As the world continues to change, these spiritual people of all religions and non-religions have an anchor that holds them together and that anchor is their belief in a higher power of many names, which never ceases to assure them, they are loved.

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The Rev. Ellin M. Dize is executive director of nonprofit NRS Inc. and facilitates A Course in Miracles spiritual discussion group at St. Paul’s UCC. She can be contacted at NRSsolutions@yahoo.com.